Heaven is a Place Nearby
by DancerInTheDark101
Summary: AU – Set in 2x05. Ben smiled weakly, his lips pale and a stark contrast from the heavy bruising covering his face. "I'm glad… you saved me." - What if Ben had been the one found under the Skitter instead of Rick? Character death.


Hi everyone. I know I should be working on Two Sides, but I've hit a bit of a block with that. Hopefully something will come up soon! As for those who like Falling Skies vids – I've finished another one! If you'd like to check it out, my username on YouTube is the same as . The vid is called _Falling Skies – Flying Without Wings._

Thanks for the continued support guys! Love it :) One last thing – has anyone seen the trailer for Connor Jessup's (Ben Mason) new movie? It's called _Blackbird_ and looks amazing! It's won a few awards at a few film festivals already. I can't wait to see it!

Warnings: Have tissues ready? Character death.

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**HEAVEN IS A PLACE NEARBY**

_**DancerInTheDark101**_

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_AU – Set in 2x05. What if Ben had been the one found under the Skitter instead of Rick? Character death._

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It had been a long and torturous few days.

They'd found Ben buried underneath a Skitter, injured and barely alive. They'd immediately brought him back to the Second Mass, where Anne, Lourdes and several others had fought to keep him alive.

Hal had waited outside the med bus, along with his father and Matt for hours on end, waiting to hear whether Ben would survive. After many hours, Anne had emerged from the med bus. Blood covered her clothes, sweat beaded on her forehead. Hal could only watch on in horror as she shook her head slowly, grief-stricken eyes brimming with tears.

They'd only just lost Jimmy… now they were going to lose Ben too…

"I'm sorry. I've done all I can… but the injuries are too extensive. There's damage to his lungs, liver and several other internal organs. I'm so sorry…"

That was it.

There was nothing they could do.

His little brother was going to die.

It was now just a waiting game – waiting to see how long it would take for the injuries to prove too much for his body to handle.

That had been two days ago.

Hal was now sitting in the med bus, along with his father and Matt. Ben was sleeping, his face pale and breathing irregular. He had woken several times since he'd been brought back, but none long enough to have a long conversation with. Each time he closed his eyes, Hal feared they'd never open again.

"Hal?" Ben's voice was weak and trembled a little. His green eyes flickered open sluggishly as he spoke. Hal looked up from where he was staring at the floor and moved closer, hearing his father and his brother do the same.

"Y-yeah?" Hal responded, taking in a shuddering breath. He gripped Ben's lax hand, for once free from the protective coverings of the fingerless gloves he normally wore.

Ben smiled weakly, his lips pale and a stark contrast from the heavy bruising covering his face. "I'm glad… you saved me. I'm glad I… I'm glad I'm going to… to die free."

One tear fell, followed by a second and then a third. Hal was powerless to stop it as the dam broke and the emotions flooded out. He gripped his brother's hand tighter, still watching Ben's face through the haze of tears. He could hear the sobs of Matt from behind him, most likely wrapped up in their father's embrace.

"Ben…" he sobbed, leaning forward so that his head was resting next to his brother's. Hal felt a hand feebly reach up and touch the side of his face. Hal looked up and saw the emotion shining in Ben's glazed eyes. He saw the fear, the pain and the regret. But he also saw the love; the love for his family.

"Dad?" Ben gasped and his hand dropped from Hal's face. Leaning back, but still gripping Ben's hand tight, Hal moved aside and let his dad and youngest brother come into a more direct line of sight.

Matt was a mess. His eyes were bloodshot, tears flowing freely and running down his unblemished cheeks. He was hiccupping as he tried to get the sobs under control, but unable to do so.

His dad wasn't much better. Tears were also streaming down his face, bottom lip trembling with the strain of trying to appear strong for his dying son. Hal could see right through it and he knew Ben would too, but Hal also knew Ben would appreciate it so much.

"Heya, kiddo," their father murmured as he reached out and placed a hand on Ben's head, fingers threading through the bloodied locks. "God, I love you so much…"

Hal watched as his brother broke. He'd tried to appear so strong for everyone, but at those six words, he wasn't able to hold it in any longer. He knew he was dying, he knew he didn't have long left.

A single tear streaked down Ben's face before the rest were unleashed. His pale face contorted as the fear broke through and in seconds Hal watched as their father gathered him into his arms in a loving embrace. Ben's sobs overtook his pain-ridden body as he let go of Hal's hand and clutched his father tightly.

Hal had to look away as he saw the look in Ben's eyes over his father's shoulder. He quickly motioned Matt over and gathered the smaller boy in his own arms. He lost track of how long they spent like that, the grief overriding all other emotions.

It wasn't until Ben started coughing painfully that Hal was snapped out of the trance he had fallen into. Tom laid his middle child back on the bed. Ben's breaths were coming in gasps now and Hal saw a small amount of blood dribble from between his pale lips.

Tom saw the blood and quickly wiped it away. He brushed away the sweaty, bloody locks of hair off Ben's forehead, leaving his hand to rest there for a little while.

"Matt?" Ben weakly called out, seemingly out of breath. Tom watched as Matt tentatively climbed off Hal's lap and shuffled over, eyes still red.

"Y-Yeah?" he stammered, hiccupping slightly.

"Come here…" Ben lifted a hand and motioned Matt closer. Tom watched as his youngest son approached the bed and leaned down so that he was face to face with his brother. Tom fought back tears as he saw Ben lift his head up and press a kiss to the top of Matt's head, as he'd seen his middle child do so many times before.

"I'm gonna… miss you, little bro…"

"I'm gonna miss you too Ben!" Matt bawled as threw his arms around his older brother.

Why? Tom thought as he watched what would most likely be the last time his youngest sons' hugged each other. Why did this have to happen to them? Why Ben? Hadn't he been through enough already? Hadn't they all?

The two broke apart, and Tom was able to see the tears streaking down Ben's face as he said goodbye to his little brother. Tom was about to say something when Ben suddenly gasped, his face paling even more. His breath stilled in his chest, eyes widening as the flash of pain rocketed through his chest.

More blood spilled from between his lips as Ben coughed again, courtesy of the extensive internal injuries. He turned his head to the side, breathing ragged as he spat out some of the blood. His lips were stained a dark red.

Ben could feel the pain ebbing away. He could feel the blood pooling in his throat and as he found himself coughing, he could feel the blood slipping past his lips and sliding down his chin. He was struggling to breathe now, the pressure building in his lungs as blood continued to fill them.

He knew it wasn't long now.

"I… I love you…" he gasped out in between ragged breaths. He shivered, feeling a cold sensation creeping up from his legs. Everything was starting to turn hazy. He couldn't see the fine details of his family's faces anymore, just the outlines. Colour bled from the world and he was only left with the black, white and greys.

He could vaguely see his dad's lips moving. He was saying something, but Ben found he couldn't hear what was being said. He couldn't hear anything.

Both his hands were being gripped; one by his dad, the other by Hal. He tightened his grip on their hands ever so slightly, and felt them squeeze back. Slowly, the feeling started to slip away. Ben knew it wasn't that they were letting go, it was that he was letting go.

He felt numb.

He blinked sluggishly and when he re-opened his eyes everything was a shade darker, his body just that little more numb. One more blink, and the darker the world became. His breathing was almost non-existent by now, but Ben didn't notice. He focused on the blurry faces of his family, knowing that they were there with him.

The fear was gone now; the fear that had been present ever since he'd known he was going to die. There was just peace.

Peace, knowing that even though he would be gone from this world, his family would still live on. They'd still fight for this world, fight for each other.

His chest no longer moved anymore, but Ben didn't notice. He blinked slower and slower, each time his eyes opened for less and less time.

He didn't even notice when they closed for the very last time, a single tear escaping and flowing down his face in a solitary track.

One tear for the life he lost.

One tear for the life he never got to have.

One tear for the life his family would go on living.

And as his heart ceased to beat, that one tear finished it's long and arduous journey, wiped away by his father who watched on in grief, his two other sons by his side.

The next day they buried him. It was a short service, done during the middle of the day when the sun shone bright. Many showed up for the boy who had been through so much, but had managed to prove himself time and time again, despite their fears.

A simple cross was all that was left to mark the place where Ben Mason rested. Etched into the wood were the words:

_BENJAMIN MASON_

_A son, a brother, a friend. _

_Free at last_

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Um yeah… not quite sure where this came from. I was all ready to go to sleep and then this suddenly came to me. So I wrote it. The inscription on the cross – I tried to think of something really poetic, but then I thought, hang on; there wouldn't be a lot of room to write something poetic… so I went for short, but strong. The 'Free at last' refers to the fact that he'd been a slave (harnessed) and then even when he was de-harnessed he still suffered from the effects of it. In death, he was freed from that slavery.

I hope you liked this (even though it's depressing and kinda dark). Please leave a comment and let me know what you thought.


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